Dr. Davis: You Reached Out At The...

Dr. Davis: You reached out at the time when I really needed to come. But it was like an avalanche of crises that I had to deal with. So today when my assistant came in and said, "Sri Chinmoy is inviting you, but I know you can't go," I said, "No, I will be there." When he mentioned your name, I said that I would cancel everything.

When I started practising meditation, I used to go to religious book stores and pick up the books you had written. I knew your name when I was in Georgia and Minnesota. Without knowing you, I was reading your books. When I learned that you live in New York, I said, "Sri Chinmoy is in Jamaica, New York! I don't believe this." I was thinking one would have to go to the Himalayas to see you. I was just amazed.

This meeting tonight is spiritual food for me because whenever we begin trying to do something with the spirit, we let the mind take over and we say, "Am I doing the right thing? Should I give up and go on?" A meeting like this says, "You are doing the right thing." Now I have confirmation.Can I ask you a question about the role of candles and burning incense?

Sri Chinmoy: Each thing has a spiritual significance. Incense gives us purity, and the flame of the candle represents our intense inner cry. Like the flame of the candle, our aspiration or inner cry is going up high, higher, highest. Our inner flame is going up to reach the all-illumining inner sun and then it is entering into the sun and becoming one with it. So definitely you should use a candle when you meditate. And when you look at the flame, feel that it is burning in the heart, not in the mind.